Principal Software Engineer

Upstart is a leading AI lending platform partnering with banks to expand access to affordable credit. Forbes recently ranked Upstart #12 on its list of most promising AI companies in America. Inc. Magazine also recognized Upstart as one of the Best Workplaces for 2020. By leveraging Upstart's AI platform, Upstart-powered banks can have higher approval rates and lower loss rates, while simultaneously delivering the exceptional digital-first lending experience their customers demand. Upstart's patent-pending platform is the first to receive a no-action letter from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau related to fair lending. Upstart is based in San Mateo, California and Columbus, Ohio.

Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Upstart, we’d love to hear from you!

We’re looking for an experienced Principal Software Engineer to help architect the future of Upstart’s application architecture. You’ll be joining our Core Services team which is responsible for supporting other engineering teams by building tools to support the developer experience, and leading & guiding the future design of feature development. You will design and architect large scale systems as we move towards a distributed, large-scale design.

How you'll make an impact:

• Help lead the engineering team towards better architectural, system and database designs & practices;
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to push the boundary of what is possible;
• Move quickly on both existing and greenfield projects, while always keeping our end users in mind;
• Help us build our engineering team and make Upstart a genuinely awesome place to work;
• Come up with great solutions while we're moving to a microservices and event-driven architecture.

What we're looking for:

• Experience working with full stack web applications in an object-oriented language (Ruby, Python, Java, C#, etc) for at least 8+ years professionally;
• Dedication to mentoring, and implementing best practices for the team;
• Solid understanding of database design and distributed systems at scale;
• Passion for clean code and architecture, and initiative to “level-up” the engineering team with better practices & design;
• You are able to lead and resolve company-wide technical discussions, and are able to collaborate and include inputs from cross-functional teams (security, devops, data, compliance and product);
• You have a good sense for build-vs-buy, and are able to prioritize the highest ROI architectural investments;
• Experience with AWS managed services, distributed & event-driven systems is a plus.

What you’ll love: 

• Competitive compensation (base + bonus & equity)
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Personal development and technology & ergonomic budgets 
• Life insurance and disability benefits 
• Clubs and activities (Game Nights, Fitstarters, Superwomen, Book Club, Investing Club, Money Discussions, Photography Club and Basketball teams) 
• Generous vacation policy
• 401(k)

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented classes receive better access to affordable credit, and are just as committed to embracing diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices. We celebrate all cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and know that we can only become better together.